The present invention relates generally to an impact absorbing sport safety helmet for use in recreational activities and, more particularly, to a light weight safety helmet adapted for use by bicyclists having an improved aerodynamic design to reduce drag on the helmet and reduce buffeting of the helmet.
It is well known to provide shock and impact absorbing safety helmets for recreational use; for example, motorcyclists, bicyclists and football players and for professional use. Such safety helmets have ranged from simple cloth or leather head coverings with minimal padding to hard outer shells supported on a network of straps or webbing. Typically, a preferred design of protective helmets features a relatively hard outer helmet shell having flexible inner liners comprising either inflatable chambers or a foam material to support the helmet and dissipate forces applied thereto. See, for example, U S. Pat. No. 4,006,496 issued on Feb. 8, 1977 to Peter O. Marker. While the prior art helmet meets all present government and private safety standards and specifications, the bulk and weight of the helmet are typically too great to be adaptable for such sports as bicycling or running. Typically, prior art bicycle helmets are hot, heavy, cumbersome and unattractive and cyclists resisted wearing such helmets because they impaired performance.
More recently improved helmets for both the professional and amateur cyclist have been developed and marketed. The newer helmets comprise a foam-only helmet fabricated from an expanded polystyrene plastic foam that absorbs shock on impact by crushing or fracturing. Elimination of the hard shell provides a helmet having less bulk and less weight. Further, the newer helmets are aerodynamically designed and include air vents in the front and rear of the helmets to create a flow-through ventilation system. While the newer helmets meet and exceed all of the safety standards and specifications promulgated by private organizations, they are more susceptible to everyday abuse, such as throwing in the trunk of a car or dropping on the floor which may diminish its shock absorbing capacity. Further, at higher speeds, such as those encountered by professional racing cyclists, airflow turbulence tends to develop at the rear of the helmet causing buffeting of the helmet at the back of the neck. This buffeting action tends to dislodge and push or cause the helmet to slide forward on a bicyclist's head.